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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I finally have my ticket for my flight to Michigan on Friday!! I am so excited to finally be able to go back. There are so many memories I have there, but I know that it won’t be nearly the same this time than it was then, without all my Au Pair friends. But I guess this time I'll have to make new and more friends and start a new life there!

I leave Durban at 18:40 pm SA Time and arrive in Dubai at 05:20 am (Dubai Time, 03:20 am SA Time), I then leave Dubai at 08:30 am (Dubai Time, 6:30 am SA Time), I then arrive in New York at 14:15 pm (USA Time, 20:15 pm SA Time), then leave New York at 18:35 pm (USA Time, 12:35 am SA Time), and arrive in Detroit at 21:05 pm (USA Time, 03:05 am SA Time).

I’m going to miss my family terribly! I have been to America for 18 months before without seeing my family once the entire time, so I have dealt with the distance before but this time it's different for sure :) I know that I will be back to visit at least once a year, but this time it’s permanent, I’ll be making it my home. South Africa will however, always be my home! You know the saying home is where the heart is :)

I know this is really lame - me blogging about every little thing lately and putting up pics, but I enjoy it and it keeps me busy for a while and makes me excited :D

As I got off the bus that took us from the plane to the airport to get our bags, I looked at my phone and saw an incoming call, I answered and to my surprise it was the US Embassy... The lady asked if I was in JHB and I said yes and that I had just landed. She then asked me if I was able to go for an interview at 13:00 pm!! I was like "WHAT!?". Elaine was waiting for me and I was walking to where the bags were, and so I asked if I could check with my friend that was picking me up first and then let her know. She said that would be fine. I immediately called my Mom and told her, she was also like "WHAT!?" (lol), and then I called Elaine from the baggage area and asked her if it was okay - I wasn't sure if she had made any plans for the day or not. She said that it was fine. I then started to freak out, but decided that I would call the lady back and tell her I would be able to be there at 13:00 pm. Which I did and she said in a happy voice, "I'll see you in a few hours".

As we walked to the car, I started freaking out even more, thinking to myself "am I ready for this", "what if I get asked this and don't know the answer" blah blah blah... We stopped off at Elaine's friend's place for Bible study and so I took in all my information and papers I had and started trying to remember every little detail of every little piece of information I thought they could ask me during the interview... After a while I calmed down, the ladies prayed for me and then it was time to leave for Elaine's place to get ready and head off to Sandton to get there in time.

We arrived at the Embassy at about 12:50pm, the doors only open at 13:00pm, so we had to sit and wait for a bit outside.

The US Embassy...

This is how my interview went :

Once 13:00pm came we were all asked to line up and the security guard looked at our appointment letters or asked people what they were there for if not an interview. They then allowed one person through the security building at a time. When I got in there I had to hand my phone in and put my bag through the scanner and was told to walk to the next building. I went through to the next building (my heart pounding with every step I took). I was told to go and sit near window 10. It took forever to get started, I was the only one getting interviewed, a lady that was there that I was talking too was picking up her visa to go and live with her son in America. At about 13:45 pm I was called up to window 10, the guy asked me to do fingerprints on the little machine there, and then asked for all the papers I had to fill out for them, I gave him those, then he asked if I had any evidence for him, which I did, I had to squash my filing carry case I had all the things in, under the glass and then gave him a few photo’s. He then asked how Dustin and I met, which I told him, and then he asked me when I plan on going, and I said I’m not sure will only know once I get the visa, then he smiled at me and said good going, LOL. He then asked me to sit down again and wait. This time I waited a long time and at about 15:05 pm, an officer came to window 11 and called me up. I went up with my heart pounding even faster than before. He asked me to put my index finger on the fingerprint machine, and then asked me to raise my right hand and swear that I would tell the truth, which I did :). He then asked me to tell him how Dustin and I met, and then asked what I plan to do when I get to America. I told him I’d get married, and he looked at me and smiled, and then I said I’d like to look for a job once I receive my EAD, and then he smiled and said good. He then kept quiet and went through some papers, because he kept quiet and was looking through some papers I thought I had maybe failed, but then he started writing on a green slip and asked me when I’m in JHB until, then I was like “oh man, he’s going to ask me for another interview”, I answered him, then he said would you like to organise courier or would you like to pick your visa up, because you have your visa and smiled at me. I was about to explode inside from keeping in my excitement and trying to remain calm, so that he didn’t think I was a complete freak, and told him I’d like to pick it up. So he gave me my green slip and told me to come back Friday to pick it up @ 2:00 pm.

I gathered all my things, walked outside the building with jelly legs to the security section to get my cell phone, and then walked outside to Elaine, shame she had been sitting there patiently the entire time, and told her my good news. By the time I got out of there to Elaine, it was about 15:15 pm. So it was LONG!! I then called my Mom and told her I didn’t get the visa, but could pick it up the next day, I still remember the silence then the small “why?”, and then me screaming that I could get it the next day!! Haha… Dustin was also very excited and happy. I think I had the most Facebook likes on my status that day, that I’ve EVER had since getting Facebook. Lol

My Green Approval Slip...

When I went back on Friday to pick up my visa, I sat there for two hours, and then was told my visa still wasn't ready. Why they didn't tell me when I got there, I still don't know. So at 4 pm I walked out of there angry and with no passport and visa. I then proceeded to call everyday twice a day from Monday onwards, and every time I got the same response "it still hasn't been printed" and they didn't know why. Finally on Friday (my last day in JHB) morning at 8 am I received a phone call from the Embassy, and the guy asked me if I have a twin, I said yes. He then asked me is it Hayley, I said yes, he then told me that he thinks that is why my visa was taking so long to get through and be approved for printing, because we both have applied for visas and they had to verify our fingerprints, because they were so similar, so I asked him if we have the same fingerprints, and he replied saying apparently yes. He then said he would tell the officer and then call me back to tell me if the visa would be ready to be picked up before I leave. I called my Mom to tell her, she couldn't stop laughing at them saying we have similar fingerprints, because everyone's fingerprints are different, and we've never had that problem before. Then at 8:25 am, the Embassy called again to tell me that the visa was ready and that I could pick it up at 11 am. Elaine and I were so excited and happy that finally, on my last day in JHB my process had finally finished :)

So we went to the embassy to pick up my visa - it took less than 10 minutes this time. I got a "Welcome to America" brochure with a sealed envelope to give to the POE officer, and my passport with my visa - YAY!!

Monday, May 23, 2011

I had such an awesome relaxing week in Johannesburg with Elaine and Bijen. They really made me feel so welcome and enjoy myself.

I arrived on Thursday the 12th May - the day I ended up having my interview, so we didn't do much. On Friday evening, we went to a place to have Sushi with four others, we had a Buffet Sushi menu, where you pay R130, and eat as much Sushi as you want... I have never in my LIFE had so much Sushi in one sitting before, lol. But it was delicious!! On Saturday Bijen went fishing at a dam and Elaine and I just relaxed and then went to visit him. On Sunday we went to a cute little place for pancakes - YUMMY!! They were so big, I couldn't even finish mine. We also went to the Botanical Gardens, such a beautiful place! On Wednesday, I made plans with friends to meet up for lunch, we decided to meet up at this place called "Taschas Restuarant", really nice food there. It was really nice to see my JHB friends after so long but so sad to have to say goodbye, knowing that I wasn't going to see them again before I left for America. On Thursday, the day before I left, Elaine and I made Sushi, this was the first time I had ever made / eaten homemade Sushi - it was REALLY so good and SO easy to make!! (Guess what I'm going to be making at home soon, haha).

Here are a few pictures of my week...

The Dam...

Pancakes for Breakfast...

The Botanical Gardens...

Meeting up with my JHB friends for lunch, and saying goodbye Love these girls!...

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

So finally I have been given a date for my interview - something I thought would NEVER happen at the rate things were going, with our NOA2 being 2 weeks late and things just generally dragging...

My interview is on the 19th May, 2011, at 13:00pm in Sandton, Johannesburg.

I have booked myself a ticket to Johannesburg on the 12th May, so that I can get a chance to hopefully see all my friends there and start the sad goodbyes! I'm going to be staying with my best friend Elaine - lets hope she doesn't get sick of me before my interview is over :D I am so grateful that she is allowing me to stay with her for so long, it is going to be so good to spend some time with her before I leave!

I am so excited for the interview, but at the same time very nervous! I am excited for very obvious reasons : I'll be with Dustin in the same country and this time for good, and there will be no more goodbyes between him and I. I am nervous because : I have been through the terrible disappointment with my visitors visa being denied last year, although a visitor visa denial won't cause a denial of my Fiance visa, I am still nervous for the what if I get denied, I don't know want to begin to think how I will be able to cope with a denial - because I just won't be able to! BUT there is a very good chance that I won't be denied, our relationship is valid, and we have been through so much together, so there will be NO denial this time, a denial is not even an option!! :) Dustin and I will be together very soon, and we are both very excited for our new lives to start! It has been a long 7 months wait so far, but we know that in the end it is going to be so worth it :)